By Lilly Cohen
It’s been over one week since the terror attack at the Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue in Har Nof, Jerusalem. A week since two Palestinian cousins shattered the calm of morning prayers. And left death and destruction in their wake. Israel buried five of her sons. And then started picking up the pieces of lives torn apart. Because life goes on. It has to. If it doesn’t, those who come to terrorize, to murder, to intimidate and inflict fear will achieve their goal.
In sharp contrast to Israel’s grief came the Palestinian celebrations. It didn’t take long for the two terrorists to be elevated to martyr status. Their faces peering down from the banners that friends and family hoisted in their East Jerusalem neighbourhood. And then social media exploded with cartoons, messages and pictures – depicting the heinous act as glorious, turning two murderers into heroes. Spontaneous celebrations erupted in Gaza and the West Bank as youngsters proudly brandished knives and axes. Little ones stood in awe, mouths filled with the free candy handed out in honour of the “heroic” act. And then, in Jordan, the parliament offered a prayer and a minute’s silence. Not for the victims. But for the two terrorists.
Sad? Yes. Shocking? Absolutely! But perhaps not all that surprising. The barbaric cartoons on social media aren’t anything new. Hamas-affiliated groups have done it countless times in the past. Neither are the celebrations and the showers of free candy. Or the terrorists achieving hero status. All of this was rather expected. What did, however, come as an unpleasant surprise was the international media’s callous and manipulative coverage of the massacre.
It wasn’t so much that the media reported incorrectly. Because a glaring mistake, a gross inaccuracy would be too in-your-face, too easy to spot and demand correction. The approach was much subtler than that. Using misleading headlines, ambiguous terms and flat-out biased angles. Perhaps simply out of a core belief of who the wronged party is. And then glossing over all facts that would prove anything to the contrary.
Leading American news channel, CNN, lead the pack. Its first headline reporting on the massacre claimed “4 Israelis, 2 Palestinians killed in synagogue attack”. Not inaccurate, you may argue. Indeed. However, it fails to distinguish between the victims and the terrorists, between the perpetrators and those who suffered at their hands. Moreover, it failed to assign responsibility, failed to identify those caused all the heartache. In short, it simply failed. On every level.
However, the worst was still to come. In an interview with Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, CNN’s caption proclaimed loudly, “Deadly Attack on Jerusalem Mosque.”
CNN removed the caption. And subsequently apologised. But not before millions of people got the wrong information. Because viewers remember the shocking news displayed in live broadcasts. And apologies? Well, they rarely get a second glance.
Sadly, CNN wasn’t alone in its worrying coverage of the massacre. Leading South African news site, News24.com opted for “7 wounded in Jerusalem synagogue attack, 2 attackers killed”. While BBC gave us “Jerusalem synagogue attack kills four Israelis”, leaving the distinct impression that the synagogue itself was responsible for attacking and killing the four Israelis. But the worst, the most tragic of headlines came from the Canadian Broadcast Company with “Jerusalem police fatally shoot 2 after apparent synagogue attack.”
What happened on the morning of 18 November 2014 in Kehilat Bnei Torah was barbaric, inhuman and tragic. But what some international media did with that act of terrorism simply added to the tragedy. Sure, there’s human error. There’s editorial slant and views and beliefs. But if this wasn’t so utterly tragic, some of the international channels’ coverage of the massacre would have been simply ridiculous.
There was a time when something like this would have driven me to distraction. Oh make no mistake about it, I still get upset. And sad. But then I remember, He told us of these things. Way in advance. We knew that there would be “tribulation and trials and distress and frustration”. But He also told us to “take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted”. Why? Well, because He’s already overcome it for us, He’s “deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you” (John 16:33).
Does it mean that I should just sit back and watch all the injustice roll by? Absolutely not. In fact, I will use every talent and resource He’s given me to tell the truth – to those who want to hear and often to those who don’t. I can and should do my part. But getting the results and changing the hearts, well, that’s His responsibility.
When I’m heartsick over the lies and the ignorance about Israel I see and hear. When my heart stills at the callus and manipulative reporting from news channels. Or by the unreasonable demand that the international community make. When I’m overwhelmed by the sheer volume of unfairness. Then I remind myself of Whose side I’m on.
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